Jantsen Vs Dirt Monkey x Grimblee [Dubstep Concert Review]

Talk About A New Experience

I had no idea what to expect when my friend Sam and I stepped into an unknown [to us] concert venue/bar called The Rabbit Hole for a dubstep concert

that we figured would have no more than two hundred people in attendance. Not because the artists weren’t cool, but in the two and half years that I’ve lived in Charlotte I’ve never seen a flyer for show there; that was until the Heavy Hitter’s Vol I show featuring Boulder, Colorado DJs Jantsen & Dirt Monkey, along with a dirty set from Salt Lake City’s dubstep prodigy Grimblee, who was also set to play tracks from his alias Hecka.

We arrived to the site crossing our fingers that Grimblee hadn’t started his set yet. Grimblee wasn’t on stage, and neither were Jantsen or Dirt Monkey. The guy on stage on was a DJ from South Carolina who goes by the name of OS3, pronounced Oh-Zaay. While we didn’t see him play long enough to get a good impression, I did catch the Columbia DJ occasionally flailing his arms around, what I call “DJ Dance Moves” and to me that means that passion and energy. I’m listening to some of OS3’s music as I write this review and I have to say, it’s not bad at all. It’s a little mellow for my taste, but I really like the production behind his song Slow.

The Chaotic Cupcakes in the House.

Up next came an announcement from Jantsen telling the crowd that because of issues with his flight, he and Dirt Monkey were now going to play before the Salt Lake City producer. No problem, wait out the anticipation for Grimblee to hit the stage, I could do that. I didn’t know much about Jantsen and Dirt Monkey before the show, it’s obvious who I was there to truly see, but for the next, roughly, two hours I got a chance to see what the Heavy Hitter’s show was all about, and these guys were the real deal.

If I had to say it, I would think that one of dubstep founders, Excision, kind of resembles Dirt Monkey, that’s right, not the other way around. And Jantsen was just really, really tall. The latter is known to be good friends with another dustep pioneer who goes by name of Lorin Ashton, but most people know him as Bassnectar. The two have produced a few tracks together, one of them including this hit off Nectar’s 2012 album Vava Voom.

Up to this point I haven’t seen many live b2b sets, except for an impeccable Circus Records b2b among three of it’s most memorable artists in Moonrise, and a killer b2b between Riven and RA in Atlanta, so these guys easily made it into The Charlotte Sessions Top 5 B2B Sets In The World list. If you don’t believe me, just watch, below (Trinidad Jame$ joke fail). The stage set up caught my attention. I’ve never seen two guys DJ in a boxing ring before, so I can check that one off my list.

GRIMBLEE

Don’t get me wrong, I loved every minute of Jantsen & Dirt Monkey’s set, but I was ready for some insane outta this world robotic dubstep and hopefully some trippy space beats from funky producers like G Jones and Bleep Bloop. Grimblee stepped in the building backpack on his shoulder and fully dressed in winter gear as if he was headed to Chicago instead of Charlotte, I quickly recognized the DJ of the hour and dapped him up in anticipation for a great set.

A few minutes went by, the lights dimmed and before we knew it, it was show time. Grimblee hit the stage and started off his set with some trippy shit that screamed “We’re about to get weird.” Just like I figured he would, Grimblee dropped a few tracks from one of Santa Cruz’ craziest producers, G Jones. His strange touch to electronic music that gives you the feeling that you’re actually in a video game, or basically turning into a computer. This track Fuck What You Heard is a good example of the type of music that Grimblee played throughout his set. I may be wrong but I’m almost certain I heard some Bommer thrown in the mix, maybe even some Gentlemen’s Club. When Grimblee played one of his most recognized tracks Is It A Banger, I flipped out for a sec, then got out the camera to capture the moment.

If you’re in the mood for some heavy bass music and Grimblee is stopping through your city, make the right move, drop everything you’ve got planned and go RAVE.

Follow Us On Instagram For More Jantsen, Grimblee, and Dirty Monkey content! @TheCharlotteSessions!

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Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, Zyven took his journeys over to Charlotte to expand and grow. After a few months of involvement with the radio station at UNC Charlotte, he decided to turn what once was a radio show, into what would eventually be the largest EDM & Dubstep blog in Charlotte.
If he's not writing a review of a random show on the East Coast, he's taking photos at a music festival, within reach of course. His ventures have taken him to festivals and shows in Miami, Austin Texas, New Orleans, Baltimore, Providence Rhode Island, Chicago and many many more cities.
When in doubt, think of your future millionaire self -- then keep pushing forward.